Now Allie lived in LA working as a housekeeper for the rich and famous while writing a screenplay on the side. They saw each other as often as Holly got to LA, which hadn’t been much lately. Allie was Holly’s one tie, the lone string on her heart, and she depended on it to keep her grounded.

“I hear your baseball phenom hit an RBI double and a sacrifice fly to go along with his seven innings of no-hitters in his last game,” Allie said. “He’s expected to do at least that in Philly.”

“I didn’t know you were into baseball.”

“I looked it up so I’d sound smart. Did it work?”

“I’m impressed.”

“Good. Mission accomplished.” Allie had a smile in her voice. “I was beginning to think maybe you’d fallen off the planet. Or better yet, found a hot guy or something.”

“Or something.”

“Are you kidding me? I’m right?”

“No,” Holly said on a laugh. “You’re not right. I’m swamped with getting this series started, that’s all.” Or not, she thought, staring at her laptop. “I just wanted to check in.”

“Aw, you miss me.”

“Yeah.” Holly felt a smile cross her face. “I really do.”

“Then stop running around like a chicken without a head. Stand still and grow roots. And if you could do that here in LA, with me, that’d be great. This is where it’s at, chica.”

“For you maybe, but I write nonfiction. I need to travel to the stories.”

“So switch to fiction. So is he on the Heat?”

“He who?”

“He, the hottie distracting you who.”

“Stop it.” But she caved as she sank to her chair and stared at the computer. “He’s the phenom. Phenoms don’t tend to like bossy reporters.”

Allie laughed. “I love it. You always did aim high.”

“You heard the nothing’s-going-to-happen part, right?”

“Call me when you have details.”

“There won’t be any.”

“Uh-huh.”

Holly thunked her head on her desk. “Well I don’t want there to be details, how’s that?”

Allie laughed and Holly hung up. She looked around at the condo she’d rented for the next month and let out a breath. Another condo in another city.

She had no idea where she’d go next.

Contrary to what Allie thought, that was actually the fun part of her job, nothing tying her down . . . Or it had been, until recently, when this odd sense of restlessness started hounding her. Maybe Allie had a point, maybe she should think about settling. She didn’t have to do it the way her mother had, with all the various addictions in play—the men, the shopping, the lying . . . which when combined had destroyed her, and nearly Holly as well. It’d certainly left them in the poor house.